


Finest

by Siria



Category: Castle
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-30
Updated: 2010-07-30
Packaged: 2017-10-10 21:04:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/104271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Siria/pseuds/Siria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bro, you're not to get any ideas just because Beckett's off being Sarah Connor</p>
            </blockquote>





	Finest

**Author's Note:**

> Written for aurora_84, who requested some post-apocalyptic Ryan/Esposito. Thanks to Sheafrotherdon for betaing!

"Bro, you're not to get any ideas just because Beckett's off being Sarah Connor." In the half-light, it was hard to see even the outline of Ryan's face, but Esposito was pretty sure he was frowning. "You're not to get _any_ ideas until that leg's better, period."

"My leg is fine," Esposito said, which was a total lie, but all of them had become experts at denial over the past few months. He and Ryan still trash-talked about who was better at Madden, Beckett and Castle still bickered about Nikki Heat, and no one ever mentioned the sickly green cast of the sky, the eerie silence of Manhattan at night. "I could be out there right now if you'd just—"

"I said no ideas," Ryan said, using some of their carefully-hoarded water to clean the edges of the wound. Esposito breathed through his nose and tried very hard not to flinch. "Thought that would be an easy one for you."

"You've been hanging around with Castle too much," Esposito said, embarrassed at how the pain made his voice crack. "Picking up his lousy sense of humour."

"Could be worse," Ryan said, plucking at the hem of his worn and filthy t-shirt. Both of them were still wearing the clothes they'd had on on the last day—Ryan in a sweatpants and t-shirt, Esposito in a now-torn pair of dress pants and a once-crisp shirt. "Could have picked up his dress sense."

That made Esposito laugh, and laughing made him cough; his chest ached by the time a cup of water and the rough press of Ryan's lips against his temple made the hacking die away.

"So if Beckett's Sarah Connor," Ryan said, settling down beside Esposito, giving him a welcome, warm weight to lean into, "what does that make Castle?"

"Bro, I have no idea," Esposito said. "World's weirdest Terminator? Maybe his chip got messed up."

"Maybe," Ryan said, taking one of Esposito's hands in his and rubbing soothing circles against the palm with his thumb, "or maybe it's a really clever cover identity. He makes you _think_ he's a jackass with all the social skills of a horny twelve-year-old, but really he's plotting to take over the world."

Esposito considered that for a moment. True enough, he could see Castle twirling a villain's moustache and rocking the villainous laughter. The man had always had a love of melodrama. Still. "Even if he is a murderous robot, Beckett could still take him out."

"That's kind of reassuring," Ryan said, resting his head against the wall behind them.

"New York's finest," Esposito said, with more than a hint of pride in his voice. The other survivors might have started to refer to the last few months in different ways—Armageddon for the religious and the fans of Bruce Willis; the End Times for those with a taste for the dramatic—but as far as the surviving members of the 12th were concerned, this was just the biggest case they'd ever worked. There was a perp out there, and they were going to bring him to justice, simple as that.

"New York's finest," Ryan agreed softly, gently squeezing Esposito's hand. Outside the blown-out window, the sun was setting, the green-tinged sky fading into the dark blue of night. Esposito still wasn't used to looking up at the sky and seeing stars overhead instead of the reflected glow of Manhattan's neon and hustle, but time had made him grow accustomed to this: drifting off to sleep with Ryan beside him, waiting for his cobbled-together family to come back to him, waiting for the world to wake up again.


End file.
